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The Cook Islands (Cook Islands) are an autonomous parliamentary democracy within New Zealand. Although it is an overseas territory of New Zealand, the Cook Islands are often thought of as a country. Domestic politics is simply run by the own government. The Cook Islands consist of an archipelago of fifteen islands, which are divided into the Northern Cook Islands and the Southern Cook Islands. The Cook Islands have a tropical climate in which, depending on the precipitation pattern, there is a tropical monsoon climate or a tropical savanna climate. Some websites incorrectly refer to a tropical maritime climate. This climate type does not exist and the climate data for the Cook Islands fits well within the criteria that apply to the tropical rainforest climate.

Two seasons

The Cook Islands have two seasons, with a small difference in temperature. There is a much larger difference in the precipitation amounts that are registered monthly. The rainy season coincides with the warmer period, which starts in November and lasts through April. During the drier period that follows, temperatures drop slightly and especially the amount of precipitation decreases. Precipitation always falls in the form of rain. Sleet, hail and snow do not occur in the Cook Islands. During the phenomena El Niño and La Niña, considerable deviations are observed within the precipitation sums per year. For example, on Aitutakione year two thousand millimeters of rain fall, while during another year the thousand millimeters are nowhere near reached. During the rainy season, especially in the Southern Cook Islands, there is a chance of a hurricane. The hurricane season continues even slightly longer: there is a chance of cyclones through June.

Temperatures

The tropical climate type includes temperatures that rise to maximums of 29 to 33 degrees during the day in the warm season. In the Southern Cook Islands this drops to 25 to 28 degrees in the period May-October, while in the Northern Cook Islands the temperatures remain almost the same throughout the year. The trade winds provide a pleasant breeze along the coast, often making it feel pleasant even on the hottest days.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit the Cook Islands

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to the Cook Islands? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. The Cook Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean connected to New Zealand. Geographically, the islands are nearly three thousand kilometers from New Zealand. The number of inhabitants is quite small with about ten thousand souls. The number of tourists visiting the Cook Islands is somewhat higher. In total, about 150 thousand people fly to these paradise islands. About two-thirds of this comes from New Zealand. Anyone who sees photos of this enchanting destination will understand that people love coming here.

Best months

If you want to take the long trip to the Cook Islands for a holiday , the best time to travel is from mid-May to mid-October. This is the season in which there is the least precipitation, the sun shows itself most often and the temperatures are almost always pleasant. Think about 25 to 27 degrees during the day on the southern islands and around 30 degrees on the wetter northern islands.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes can occur near the Cook Islands. In this region, by the way, people talk about cyclones when it comes to a heavy tropical where wind speeds reach hurricane strength. Hurricanes can develop here from November to April. Occasional cyclones can occur outside of the hurricane season, but if they do, they are rarely hurricanes of the altitude categories. An exception to this is, for example, Cyclone Martin, which struck on October 27, 1997. Fortunately, hurricanes appear in the forecasts a few days in advance, so that measures can still be taken in time.